Western media 'troublemakers' barred from Xi Jinping speech // Believe in socialism not sorcery, China tells party members

China has trumpeted this week’s pomp-filled Communist party congress as an example of its increasing openness and transparency. But a number of major western news organisations whose coverage has irked Beijing were excluded from Xi Jinping’s unveiling of China’s new ruling councilon Wednesday – in some cases for the first time in more than two decades. Those refused access to Xi’s statement to the media include the BBC, the Financial Times, the Economist, the New York Times and the Guardian. Chinese officials offered no formal explanation for the decision.

The Daily Telegraph, which regularly publishes Communist party propaganda in the UK as part of a reported £800,000 annual contract with Beijing’s China Daily, is understood to have been granted an invitation to Xi’s event. In a statement, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) said it was concerned about the exclusions. “The press conference is a high profile news event involving China’s top leadership and it is hard to avoid the conclusion that these media organisations have been singled out to send a message,” it said. “Using media access as a tool to punish journalists whose coverage the Chinese authorities disapprove of is a gross violation of the principles of press freedom,” the group added. Qiao Mu, a former journalism professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University who recently went into self-imposed exile in the United States, said China appeared to have barred those it considered “trouble makers”. The move reflected the frustration of Chinese officials at Xi’s inability to “control the tone of the western media”.  “The situation will get worse ... more and more western media websites will be blocked, and journalists will be expelled or [find it] hard to get visas,” Qiao added. He said that in Xi’s “new era” there was room for only “one voice”. .. read more:

Believe in socialism not sorcery, China tells party members
One of China’s top leaders has chastised Communist party cadres for putting “ghosts and gods” before Marx and Lenin. Writing in the party’s official mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, Chen Xi accusedsome officials of becoming politically and morally “degraded” and of looking to religion, superstition and – perhaps even worse – western-style multi-party democracy as their faith in socialism faded.  “Some don’t believe in Marx and Lenin but believe in ghosts and gods; they don’t believe in ideals but believe in sorcery; they don’t respect the people but do respect masters,” wrote Chen, who was last month handed a spot on China’s 25-member Politburo.  He added: “As Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out … cadres need to be both red and professional.” 

Members of the officially atheist Communist party have always been required to shun religion. However, activists say hostility to religion has intensified since Xi Jinping became China’s leader in 2012 and began clamping down on potential sources of opposition.  Chen’s article follows reports that Christians in the eastern province of Jiangxi were being told to rid their homes of images of Jesus and the cross and replace them with portraits of Xi. Qi Yan, a local official, told the South China Morning Post the move – which has already seen some 1,000 Xi portraits handed out and hung – was part of an anti-poverty drive that seeks to convince misguided believers that Xi and his political disciples could improve their lot, not the son of God. “Many rural people are ignorant. They think God is their saviour,” Qi said. “After our cadres’ work they’ll realise their mistakes and think: ‘We should no longer rely on Jesus, but on the party for help.’”.. read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/16/chinese-officials-believe-in-sorcery-not-socialism-says-senior-minister

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